PORTSMOUTH — Two members with Seacoast business ties bring certain aptitudes to the table as members of the governor's recently formed Live Free and Start Advisory Council.

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By Paul Briand

seacoastonline.com

By Paul Briand

Posted Jul. 27, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Paul Briand
Posted Jul. 27, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

PORTSMOUTH — Two members with Seacoast business ties bring certain aptitudes to the table as members of the governor's recently formed Live Free and Start Advisory Council.

Mark Kaplan, whose Alpha Loft collaborative business has offices in Portsmouth and Durham as well as Manchester, deals frequently with start-ups and understands their needs when it comes to getting a business off the ground in the Granite State.

"Alpha Loft put me in touch with a lot of entrepreneurs," Kaplan said. His abiHUB purchased the co-working Alpha Loft business in May and rebranded under that name. "I hear and get a lot of information and get a lot of understanding about their needs."

Shawn McGowan, as chief operating officer and chief technical officer of Newmarket International at Pease International Tradeport, has his eye on data and how it affirms the initiatives the advisory council undertakes. He said data helps define the group's objectives and "understand who we're talking to and what problems we're trying to solve."

Kaplan and McGowan are two of the 14 members named to the council by Gov. Maggie Hassan on July 8 to make it easier for start-up companies start and grow in the Granite State.

Hollis McGuire, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center in Nashua;

John Orcutt, University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord;

Alan Reische, Sheehan, Phinney, Bass + Green in Manchester;

Nick Soggu, SilverTech in Manchester.

"The Live Free and Start Advisory Council brings together accomplished business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the state to help us build on these advantages," Hassan said when announcing the council's members.

McGowan has one of the more established high-tech companies in the group so part of his interest is the residual effect the recommendations for start-ups will have on established businesses.

"Naturally, we'll end up looking at the problems and challenges of existing companies in the state," he said.

He also has a hand in the startup environment, having just completed a two-year term as chairman of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of New Hampshire, an incubator group that helps initiate and fund start-ups.

"I think I've got a good background and have done some early stage background work over the years," he said. "I know small companies and the challenges they face. I've spent a fair amount of time in the start-up world."

The first meeting July 16 at the Alpha Loft location in Manchester identified tiers of short-and long-term goals, according to Kaplan and McGowan.

One item on the table was the state's business profits tax and how it can affect a startup, possibly keeping a new company from locating in the state. Critics say the combination of the business profits tax (a corporate income tax) and business enterprise tax (a gross receipts tax) can be too much of a drag on business profits.

Kaplan underscored the need to communicate the New Hampshire advantages over other states (no sales or income tax, for instance).

McGowan said the group agreed to meet monthly for six months and he expects some results at the end of six months. "I think you'll start to see meaningful impact from this group in six months," he said. "And this group will stay intact for as long as needed."

Kaplan said he attended July's inaugural meeting knowing fewer than half of the members. "I think it's a great group of people," he said. "I think there's definitely a focus on achieving some deficit specific objectives."

McGowan shares that sentiment. It was important to him, before he accepted the governor's appointment, to know the qualifications of his fellow members. "I wanted to make sure the players had the right background and I was pleased with that," he said.

McGowan said he liked that the governor "was personally committed and engaged," having attended the first session. "Coming out of first meeting I was actually quite impressed with her openness on the issues," he said.

Gov. Hassan, New Hampshire Business Finance Authority Executive Director Jack Donovan, and Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner Jeff Rose established the Live Free and Start initiative in June.

According to the governor's office, businesses raised concerns that some of the state's business regulations are outdated; that laws and regulations that pertain to financing startup businesses may hinder investment; that certain tax provisions are problematic for startups and fast-growing companies; and that outdated technology for doing business with New Hampshire state government sends the wrong message to high-tech businesses considering where to launch and grow.

The office said the new high-tech startup initiative will work with the advisory council to develop proposals for executive or legislative action in order to make these changes.